Automobile door-latching device



Jan. 21 1930. TRUDEAU 1,744,424

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCHING DEVICE Filed Jan. 18, 1.928

2/ 3 INVENTOR.

Theodoref? Trudeau.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 21, 1930 PATENT OFFICE THEODORE F. TRUDEAU, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS AUTOMOBILE DOOR-LATCHING' DEVICE Application filed January 18, 1928. Serial No. 247,560.

This invention relates to improvements in automobile door latching device. An object of the improvement is to retain the door firmly in a closed position, and to permit it to be easily closed after being opened. Broadly it comprises a spring actuated link that is pivoted so that it may pass around the fixed door catch in either the opening or closing movements of the door. A further object is 19 to prevent the door from being opened from the inside by pressure against the door and to permit the door to be readily closed by pressure on the outside without operating the handle. lVhen the door is in an open position the handle is inoperative.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing the device installed in the door, and the door in its closed position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the device with the door partially open with the operative parts in a position about to snap into their unlatched position.

Fig. 3 shows the door fully unlatched so that it may be swung open, and

Fig. 4 is a detailed side view looking from the outside of the door.

Referring to the drawings in detail:

1 designates the door of the automobile; 2 the fixed part of the door opening showing the out out portion with the catch 3 located therein. 4 and 5 are plate members which are secured together at their rear ends by means of the rivets 6; their forward ends are connected together by means of bolts 7 and 8, (see Fig. 4). Located on these bolts are the spacing tubes 9. 9' is the felt covering. 10 are spaced bracket arms that are attached to the-plate 5. Pivotally connected to the spaced bracket arms is the latch lever 11, indicated at 12. This lever is formed with the recess 13 having the two arm portions 14 and 15. Pivotally attached to the latch lever 11 is the member 16 by means of the pin 17. Secured to this member 16 is a rod 17 the outer end of which is slidably located in an opening 18 of the bent portion 19 of the plate 4. 20

is a coil spring that is under compression, one endof which rests against the part 19 and. the other against the member 16, as

shown. Rotatably mounted in openings in the plates 4 and 5 is a shaft 21, to which is secured the operating handles 22 and 22'. Secured to the shaft 21 is a collar 23 by means of the pin or set screw 24. This collar is formed with a depending arm 25. 26 is a tube in which the shaft 21 is located. Connected to the arm 25 is a link 27. The other end of the link is attached to the plate 16 by means of the pin 28. 29 is a struck up portion in the plate 5, against which the link 27 normally rests. The purpose of this elevation is to prevent the door from being forced open when pressure is applied on the inside of the door. In other words it prevents the link 27 from operating the latch lever 11.

It will be noticed that the fixed catch part 3 is formed with a rounded curved surface 30, the diameter of which curve exactly fits into the recess 11 of the catch lever 13.

The operation of the door latching device may be described as follows: Normally the arm portion 14 of the catch lever rests against the inner surface of the fixed catch 3, as indicated at the point 31, (see Fig. 1). When the handles 22 and 22' operate the shaft 21, the depending arm 25, and link 27 rotates or turns the latch lever 11 into the position shown in Fig. 2; this movement is indicated by the arrow 32. At the same time the arm portion 15 engages the catch 3 at the point 33, (see Fig. 2). This operation compresses the spring 20. An additional further pres-- sure on the handles 22 and 22', will cause the latch lever 11 to rotate or move around the curved surface 30 of the catch 3 until it passes the dead center when the toggle connection of the levers will snap them into the unlatched position by means of the spring 20. The parts are now in the position shown in Fig. 3. In this position the holding device is free from the latch 3 and the door 1 may be swung open into the position shown in Fig.

3. The pivotal bearing points are 38 and the pivot hinge 34 of the door. It will be evident that when the door is to be closed it is only necessary to apply pressure to the outer surface of the door when the arm portion 15 will engage the catch 3 at'33. This 1 will cause the latch lever 11 to rotate and bring the member 16 into a position shown in Fig. 2. The spring 20 will then automatically close the door by reason of the toggle lever construction and the parts will assume theposition shown in Fig. 1. In other words the door is latched by means of the toggle when the compression spring will operate tocomplete the operation as shown in Fig. 1. 35 designates a coiled spring which surrounds the tube 26. One end of this spring is located in an opening in the plate 4. The other end is connected to the arm 25 by inserting it in an opening in the arm, or, if desired it may be bent around the arm. The function and purpose of this coiled spring is to automatically exert an upward pressure on the handles 22 and 22 and parts connected to the handle to prevent or avoid the possibility of the weight of the handle from jarring the latch 11 so that the door would open. This spring also prevents the parts from rattling or making an objectionable noise when the machine is in' operation.

It is to be understood that the coiled spring 35 is to be used on the tube 26 shown in Figs. 2 and 3. If this spring is not used the link 27 might be moved away from the projection 29. If this should occur the latch 11 might be operated causing the door to open.

16 designates a bent extension of the member 16 to limit the movement of the latch lever 11, when in its open or unlatched position, as shown in Fig. 3.

W'hat I claim is: Y

1. The combination in a door latching device, two plates secured together at a fixed distance from each other, a bracket arm secured to one of the plates, a recessed latch receiving lever pivotally connected to the bracket arm, a part pivotally connected to the said recessed lever, a spring under compression for applying pressure to said part, an operating handle rotatably mounted in the two plates, a link connection between the handle and the part which is connected to the said recessed latch lever, the said handle when operated moves the latch lever into an unlatched position but permits the device to assume the latching position'without oper ating the handle when the door is moved into its closed position.

2. A toggle latching device for automobile doors, comprising in combination with a fixed catch stop, a pivotally mounted recessed latch lever for engaging the stop, a part pivotally connected to the said latch lever, a rod secured to the part and slidably extending through an opening in a fixed member, a compression spring on the slidable rod and located between the fixed member and the said part, an operating handle operatively connected to the part for operating the recessed catch lever about its engagement with the fixed catch stop against the expansive' force of the spring until the pivotal points are in alignment when the spring will operate to complete the movements of the recessed latch lever, the part and rod to move the lever into its unlatching position to break the toggle efi'ect.

3. A door holding device comprising in combination with a pair of spaced plates, a latch lever pivotally connected to one of the plates and formed with a recess therein for engaging a fixed catch, a part to which the latch lever is, pivotally connected, a coiled spring normally under compression for forcing the latch lever against the fixed catch when the door is in a closed position, an operating handle pivotally mounted in the plates, link mechanism between the said part and the handle for operating the'latch lever, whereby when the handle is operated the spring is compressed and the latch lever is.

rotated on its pivot for forcing the latch lever from the fixed catch.

4. In an automobile door latching device against a fixed support, said spring being normally under compression, an operating handle,-a shaftto which the handle is at tached, link connecting means between the handle and the said part, a catch part formedwith a curved surface which engages the two arms of the latch lever and receives the re cess of the latch lever, whereby when the handle is operated the surface of the recess will slide around the fixed stop from its latching into its unlatching position, said sprin serving to retain the recessed latch lever both in its latching and unlatching osition.

5. A toggle door retaining evice for automobile doors, comprising in combination, an operatively mounted recessed catch lever having two projections for co-operation with a fixed catch having a curved surface that fills the recess, a compression spring operatively connected to the said recessed lever to form a toggle joint, an operating handle connected to the compression spring for operating the recessed catch lever for releasing the ever from the fixed catch, the points of connection between the recessed catch lever and the compression spring comprises a toggle joint and the said projections serving when engaging the fixed catch to operate the recessed catch lever.

6. An automobile door latching device comprising a pivotally mounted latch lever on the door, which lever is formed with two arm portions and a catch receiving recess between the arm portions, a fixed catch having a curved surface that closely fits into the said recess, one of the arms normally engaging the fixed catch, when the door is closed the other arm engaging the fixed catch to tilt the latch lever when the door is being closed spring actuated toggle means for retaining the latch lever in a position to hold the door closed, the recess of the catch lever during the closing operations having a sliding movement around the curved surface of the catch, as described.

THEODORE F. TRUDEAU. 

